My Favorite Reads of 2012

Wow! It's so hard to believe that it is that time again! Time to list my favorite reads from 2012. It was really hard to pick my favorite books this year and I'm afraid that I had to make it 20 instead of 10! These are listed in the order that I read them. I have also linked the titles to my reviews just in case you are interested in why I loved each title!! So without further ado........here they are!

• The Lost Wife- this book made a huge impact on my soul.
• Backseat Saints- my first, but not my last, introduction to Joshilyn Jackson.
• Reservation Road- this book broke my heart
• Still Life- wonderful character building
• A Cottage By the Sea- Beautiful story, captured my imagination

• The Baker's Daughter- historical fiction at its finest!
• I Thought You Were Dead (audio)- this books was funny and heartbreaking. Fantastic narrator!
• Mariana- Hauntingly beautiful!
• The Snow Child- loved this one so much..would re-read it at some point!
• The Beginner's Goodbye (audio)- one of those quiet stories that squeeze your heart

• Sea Change- wonderful Southern fiction and I believed every word!
• Gone Girl- because sometimes you need a twisted book!!
• Cinder (audio)- highly original, imaginative, and awesomely narrated
• The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry- this book delivered and made me cry
• The Weight of Heaven- this author's prose blows me away!'

• Broken Harbor- OMG! Loved this one and can't get enough of Tana French!
• The Light Between Oceans- made me really questioned what I would have done...riveting!
• Mr. Churchill's Secretary- loved this historial fiction/mystery book and the main character
• In The Woods- crazy good!
• All of the Jill Shalvis books- sexy men, smart women, awesome locations = great reading!

I want to take a quick moment to just thank all of you for taking time to stop by my blog, read my posts, and leave me feedback! I consider you all friends and couldn't imagine sharing the love of the written word without you!! I hope everyone has a truly wonderful and blessed 2013!! Here's to a new year filled with love, laughter, happiness, prosperity, and great books!!!

Review: Undone by Karin Slaughter

Title and Author of book: Undone by Karin Slaughter
Fiction or non-fiction: Fiction
Genre: Best criminal thriller psycho book this year!!!!!
Where did I get the book: My public Library
Challenges that this fulfilled: none, I'm just a big fan.

Who recommended this book to me? From the very first time I read a Slaughter book I was immediately hooked. Anytime something new of hers is to be published I'm first in line!!!

Summarize the plot but don't give away the ending!

Undone brings together, for the first time, the small-town residents of Grant County, Georgia, and the hard-bitten cops of Georgia’s Bureau of Investigation in a relentlessly gripping novel.

Sarah Linton has fled to Atlanta seeking refuge from the terrible act that ripped her life apart in Grant County. But when a tortured young woman becomes a patient in her ER, she’ll find herself deeply ensnared in a case that rips the lid off secrets as dark and complex as they are disturbing. When special agents Will Trent and Faith Mitchell join forces to probe into the life of the victim, these three embark on an investigation that will change all of them forever.


What did you like most about this book? After reading her last Grant County book, I have to admit that I was PISSED at the ending. I screamed, wanted to throw the book against the wall, I couldn't believe that Slaughter would have the nerve to do what she did. She ended up leaving a secret website for her readers in the book so that she could explain herself. After reading that, I understood, didn't make it any easier, but I did understand. So I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this one up. Let me just tell you that she combined her characters from her two series and it was perfection!!! Everything is in this book, smart characters, a fantastic plot, gruesome torture that made my stomach turn, heartbroken, and broken people. There wasn't a misstep anywhere in this novel! I loved it all!!!!

What did you like least? Not a thing, not a thing. I think this is her best one yet!

Have you read any other books by this author? I've read all of her books. They rock!! Slaughter is the real deal. After I became turned off by the same old garbage from Patricia Cornwell, (I mourn the loss of the real Kay Scarpetta that she created in her earlier books) I needed to find an author who could capture me again with a female lead character. Slaughter has done that consistently with each book she puts out. She hasn't sold her soul to be on the NY Times Bestseller list...she's a true artist.


What about the ending? I tried to figure out who the serial killer was and just when I thought I had put all of the pieces together, I was thrown a loop!!! Excellent ending.

So obviously, you can tell I love this author. If you haven't read her books and you like psychological thrillers, she will deliver!!! If you've read her books and haven't gotten to this one yet...GET YOUR TUSH INTO GEAR!!!!
One of the BEST books I've read this year!

Review: Nothing But Ghosts by Beth Kephart

Title and Author of book: Nothing But Ghosts by Beth Kephart
Fiction or non-fiction: Fiction
Genre: YA- One of the Best Books Written This Year!
Where did I get the book: My public Library
Challenges that this fulfilled: YA Challenge
Who recommended this book to me?: Lenore and Amy



My Thoughts:

Beth Kephart is easily becoming a must-read author for me. Her newest book was such a pleasure to read. Katie is a girl that any parent would be blessed to have as their daughter. She is dealing with the loss of her mother which has left a huge hole in her life. I loved her dad. His work as someone who restores old art was very fascinating. I loved reading about what he felt was underneath all of the dirt as he worked at removing the layers little by little. Katie and her dad really tried their best to keep the lines of communication open ,but they both were reserved when it came to talking about the death of their parent/spouse. Katie dreams about her mother nightly and her dad has locked up their bedroom and sleeps on the couch. Worked into this storyline is a mystery that was fun to try to figure out with Katie and the oh-so glamorous librarian. The added bonus of a budding romance makes this story complete. Sounds like a very simple storyline, right? But it's not because Kephart has a magical way with words, she touches places deep in the heart. She doesn't do anything fancy, but instead she stays so true to the human condition and it shines throughout these pages. I feel blessed to have read this book and this is one that I stand on top of the rooftops shouting to the masses, "READ THIS BOOK, YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!!!"


One of my favorite passages from the book:

I lost Mom until the parade moved on, wound itself away from the harbor and up into the crooked streets. I turned and saw her standing on the edge of things--too thin, I realize now, and frail, the wind caught up in her hair. She'd kept her secret the whole trip long. She stood in that strange, chilled mist, alone, alive , but knowing what would come. History is never absolute truth. It isn't just the thing that was. It's the thing that could have been.

p.210

Others who have read and reviewed this beautiful work of art:

Things Mean A Lot
Presenting Lenore
My Friend Amy
Bermuda Onion

Reviews: 3 for the price of 1!!

I was going to review each one of these books separately but then decided against it. The reason? Two of the books have been reviewed everywhere and I really don't think that I have much else to add. So I decided to talk about these three books, what I learned from reading them, and why I think you should read them one right after the other.

I read The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet first. I was swept away by this novel. I think the author did a great job of giving the main character his voice. Here are just some of the historical facts I learned.

• This book took place in Seattle, Washington. I had no idea that there was such a huge concentration of Chinese and Japanese that lived there during this time.
  
• I knew nothing about the Japan attacking China before WWII even broke out.
• I didn't know that there were internment camps located in Washington.
• Can you imagine having to wear a button that says "I'm Chinese."

I fell in love with Henry and Keiko. Their story rang so true to me and the ending made me cry!! This is Jamie Ford's debut novel and wow, he knocked my socks off. I see big things ahead for him. I can't recommend this one enough and it is on my faves list for 2009!


Next up on my reading list was Shanghai Girls. I adore Lisa See and her writing style. This one did not disappoint me at all. This story begins in Shanghai and introduces us to sisters, May and Pearl. They are young, beautiful and carefree. Much of their lives they have been spoiled by their parents. Then war comes to China and the Japanese have invaded. I now had some idea of this war, The Second Sino-Japanese War, because it was referenced in The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Another piece of the puzzle fell into place. I don't want to say my history teachers were not skilled, but we only talked about how WWII affected the United States. I love it when I take away new information from reading!! Somehow (I know how but don't want to spoil it for anyone) the two sisters make it out of China and end up in the United States. Once again, the prejudice that the Chinese people experienced in the US at this time is forefront in the story and you get another glimpse into how Asians were perceived during WWII.
For me, See hit a home run with this beautiful novel. This one is a favorite read of 2009.


The final book that I read was Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas. I would've never known about this book until I posted my review of her newest release, Prayers For Sale. Kaye from Pudgy Penguin Perusals recommended this one to me. I'm so thankful that she did because this one was a WINNER!!! The setting is in Colorado and it is based on an actual Japanese internment camp. The main character Rennie Stroud is something else! I loved this girl and her feistiness. I also thought her parents were pretty awesome characters. You honestly can't help but want to be a part of their family. A twist on this book that is different than the others, is that a murder of a young girl occurs in Rennie's hometown and everyone wants to blame the Japanese. Througout the story you see how if people just take a chance and put aside their prejudices, then true friendships can be made. Tallgrass also makes the list of favorite reads this year!!!




I'm glad that I read these 3 books. I wish now that I would've read them one right after the other just because it would've been a much more cohesive history lesson for me. Nothing detracts from the stories by reading them months apart, but if you're interested in reading about this time period then these are three stellar stories that gives the reader many different perspectives.

YA Review: Undercover by Beth Kephart

But playing Roxane made me feel uncomfortable. For there is Cyrano, writing letters to Roxane on behalf of the local pretty boy, and there is Roxane, buying every bit of it, hook,line, and sinker. Why can't she see that it is Cyrano's heart and head inside those letters? Why can't she tell how much he loves her? And what does this say about people in general, that they can't see what is standing before them? Beauty rules, every single time. Beauty is the password.
p.41

Undercover
Beth Kephart
Genre: YA
Published: 2007
Pages: 278 beautifully written prose

Short Synopsis: Like a modern day Cyrano de Bergerac, Elisa ghostwrites love notes for the boys in her school. But when Elisa falls for Theo Moses, things change fast.


My Thoughts:

This book is absolutely lovely. The words contained within these pages are poetic and I guess they're meant to be right? Because Elisa has a way with words, in fact, she hides behind the words that she writes. Kephart hit a home run with her first foray into YA fiction. There is so much going on underneath the facade of Elisa. She lets her guard down when she's writing for others and when she writes for herself. The poetry in this book is wonderful. At times in my life I've been intimidated by poetry, felt that I never quite got the gist of the author's meaning. Not so here. I was moved by the writing in this book so much that this book is going on my list of favorite YA books ever...!!! I'm so grateful to Lenore at Presenting Lenore for reviewing Undercover a while back. If I hadn't read that review I would've missed out on this gem. That makes me sad...this book was published in 2007, so why haven't I heard about it? And for that reason alone I'm so glad that I belong to a group of book lovers who are so passionate about what we read and are so willing to share it with others. Because without blogs some truly wonderful books may remain unread and we can't let that happen, can we? If you're new to the YA genre and are looking for a good first book then look no further......Undercover is one you should add to your list, I promise that you will not be disappointed!!

Guess what? Beth blogs!!! Beth Kephart Books

Other Reviews:
Presenting Lenore
My Friend Amy
Em's Bookshelf

Guest Post with Author Julia Hoban and Giveaway!!

I am so excited to bring to my readers today a short Q&A that I did with author Julia Hoban. I want to preface it with letting my friends know that Julia is such an open and inviting person to talk to. We've been communicating for several months now and I finally read her book, which I absolutely LOVED and she graciously answered some of my questions. Enjoy and remember every comment enters you into the giveaway of her powerful novel, Willow.

Interview with Julia Hoban: Part 1

Staci: What made you decide to write about a girl who cuts herself?

Julia: I wanted to write about a character who was self destructive---as we all are to one degree or another. I wanted that character to grow and change, to heal and move beyond her damaging behaviors, something I would hope for anyone. I chose cutting because I thought that was a particularly dramatic form of self destructive behavior---one that would immediately take readers to the gritty heart of the matter.


Staci: Have you ever known someone who cuts themselves? What kind of research did you do in order to write such compelling passages about Willow's urgent needs to release her pain?

Julia: I was rather surprised to find out that I do in fact know several people who have been cutters. After my book came out some women that I'd known for years told me that they had experimented with this kind of behavior when they were in their teens. As for the research, I did quite a bit--I read case studies, some rather harrowing memoirs--these were invaluable as far as the technical details of cutting went. But as for getting to the depth of Willow's need--I looked to the challenges I've faced in my own life. I have never been a cutter, but I have felt that kind of despair, that kind of desperation, that absolute inability to process pain in the correct way.




Staci: Do you have a special place or ritual that you do while you're writing?

Julia: I'm sorry to say that my biggest ritual is procrastination! It's amazing how inventive I can be when it comes to avoiding work! However, when I do get down to it, I am always most comfortable writing in my pj's--preferably polka dot ones. Also, I consider myself very fortunate to have my own little office. It's painted the most heavenly shade of cornflower blue, and I designed my own desk. It's hand painted with roses. Yes, you read that correctly.


Staci: I know some blossoming young writers who get discouraged easily and they don't realize that even adults do re-writes and editing. From start to finish how long did it take to write Willow?

Julia: I wrote the first draft of the book very quickly. It was barely a hundred pages, and was really no more than a rough outline of the finished product. It was something I had to get down on paper though before I could go on. The next draft included a seven hundred page outline and took six months. But it's fatal to compare writing processes! Everyone is different! The important thing is to stick to it, especially when you're ready to give up. Look, if it makes anyone feel any better, take heart from this example: Van Gogh wrote to his brother that he didn't think he was worthy to paint in oils. Van Gogh! The man who forever transformed oil painting! I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you're discouraged, if you're beset by self doubt, don't let it get you down. You're in good company!


Staci: Did the character Willow haunt your dreams while you were writing this story?

Julia: I can't say I ever dreamt about Willow, but I can say that my every waking minute was obsessed with her. I think one not only has to be obsessed with their characters, but love them deeply as well. I read in Laurence Olivier's autobiography that he felt he truly became an actor when he learned to love the characters he was playing, flaws and all, without judging them. A writer has to feel the same way about the characters they are creating. We may be writing about people with tremendous failings, but we still have to adore them. We have to be willing to spend every moment with them occupying our thoughts.


Come back tomorrow for Part 2!!! And Thank you for stopping by today and taking the time to read my interview with Julia and to leave a comment!!

Important Book- A Must Read for 2009! Willow by Julia Hoban

Willow
by Julia Hoban
Published: 2009
Genre: YA
352 painful, gritty, raw, and very real pages

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Seven months ago, on a rainy March night, sixteen year- old Willow’s parents died in a horrible car accident. Willow was driving. Now her older brother barely speaks to her, her new classmates know her as the killer orphan girl, and Willow is blocking the pain by secretly cutting herself. But when one boy —one sensitive, soulful boy—discovers Willow’s secret, it sparks an intense relationship that turns the “safe” world Willow has created for herself upside down.
Told in an extraordinary fresh voice, Willow is an unforgettable novel about one girl’s struggle to cope with tragedy, and one boy’s refusal to give up on her.



My Thoughts:

Willow is going to be one of those books that you will talk about for days, even weeks later, after you finish it. There's no sugar-coating or glossing over the harsh reality of Willow's destructive behavior. And I think that's why I was so drawn into the story. I couldn't for the life of me understand why someone would want to hurt themselves in order to feel better. Crazy huh? Hoban does this though, she make you, the read, understand what is going on with Willow and why she chooses self-mutilation as the way she deals with her feelings. I'm sure a lot of parents will shy away from the topic of this book. Some may even feel that their teen shouldn't read this because it might make them want to "cut" themselves. People, that's just plain silly!!! I had to fight to keep Cut by Patricia McCormick, on my middle school shelves. I fought for it because I know of students who do this behavior or have friends that engage in cutting. Reading about it does not make someone do those actions. Instead, it educates that person and helps them to understand that they need to find a different way to express their hurt, anger, and repressed feelings. Willow takes Cut to the next level and really gets into the psyche of a young person who is overwhelmed with guilt, grief, and other unspoken feelings. Yes, it is gritty and painful, but it is so important for you, the reader, to complete this journey with Willow. To see that in the end she does reach out for help, but to get there is hard, oh so hard. For me, this book will put a spotlight on a subject that no one really wants to acknowledge--CUTTING. This is the book that will be the turning point to starting conversations with other teens, teens talking to their parents, parents talking to their teens, and even teens reaching out to a trusted individual for help. To me, Willow will be ranked right up there with the classic, Speak, and ten years from now, we'll still be talking about it, passing along copies to someone, and heralding the brave writing that Julia Hoban has accomplished.

Interested in hearing from the author herself?

Come back tomorrow when I host a Q&A with Julia. I sent her 9 questions which she so graciously answered and I will highlight 5 of those questions on Saturday. Sunday I will feature the remaing 4 and because I BELIEVE in this book so much I'm buying a copy to offer as a giveaway.

Giveaway Rules:

• All comments from the 3 posts will be entered for the book drawing.
• I'm opening it up for international.
• Please just make sure that I have a way to contact you if you win!!
• If not, I'll draw again.
• Last day to enter will be Friday, June 5th at 10:00 pm est.

Other Reviews:
Presenting Lenore
Look at that Book

Review: The Cellist of Sarajevo- My thoughts

The Cellist of Sarajevo

Author: Steven Galloway
Published: 2008
Pages: 235
Genre: Adult Literature but I would recommend it for YA readers too!!

Synopsis:In a city under siege, four people whose lives have been upended are ultimately reminded of what it is to be human. From his window, a musician sees twenty-two of his friends and neighbors waiting in a breadline. Then, in a flash, they are killed by a mortar attack. In an act of defiance, the man picks up his cello and decides to play at the site of the shelling for twenty-two days, honoring their memory.Elsewhere, a young man leaves home to collect drinking water for his family and, in the face of danger, must weigh the value of generosity against selfish survivalism. A third man, older, sets off in search of bread and distraction and instead runs into a long-ago friend who reminds him of the city he thought he had lost, and the man he once was. As both men are drawn into the orbit of cello music, a fourth character -- —a young woman, a sniper -- —holds the fate of the cellist in her hands. As she protects him with her life, her own army prepares to challenge the kind of person she has become.

My Thoughts:
This book was utterly amazing!!! If I hadn't been reading Musings of a Bookish Kitty I would've missed out on this beautiful book. It takes place during the siege of Sarajevo based loosely around an actual event. A man plays his cello for twenty-two days out in the open for all to see, putting himself at risk by death from the snipers that are in the hills killing the citizens at will. I've read only one other book that pertains to this time in history and that was, Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Wartime Sarajevo, which was so gripping and opened my eyes to what these people endured. To help put their life and struggles into perspective, during the time I was reading this I was without power for three days because of a severe storm. I was feeling sorry for myself because I couldn't watch television or turn on the lights, make my coffee, or flush the toilet. The people in Sarajevo went without power for almost seven years. At times they would flip the switch by habit and the lights would be on!! This was a time when they would react quickly because they might be able to recharge their radios so that they could get news from the outside world. To get untainted water, one of the characters made the several mile hike to a brewery where a water source was available. But to do this, he had to cross streets and bridges which would leave him vulnerable to those that wanted to see him dead. This story revolves around Arrow, Dragan, and Kenan with the story of the cellist setting the scene. It is a fast and very involving read, one that you will find yourself not putting down and then when you do realizing how much we take for granted...food, electricity, running water, music, internet, phones, being able to cross the street and not fearing for your life. This was a powerful story that will stay with me for some time and one that I totally recommend to others. I know that it sounds so depressing and weary but it isn't at all, it's a story of how music connects humans to their memories, good and bad. It's a story of how music brings people together and gives them hope in the end.

I would like to share one passage that hurt my heart and made me really sit there and think about what is happening somewhere else on this planet while I take for granted my comfortable life.

"if we stay they will shoot at us from the hills until we're all dead, and then they'll come down just the same."
"The world will never allow that. They'll have to help us sooner or later." she says. He's not sure from her tone of voice if she believes what she says. He doesn't know how she could. They must both see the the same city disintegrating around them.
"No one is coming." His voice is harsher than he means it to be. "We're here on our own, and no one's come to help us. Don't you know that?"
Emina looks down, and fastens the top two buttons on her coat. She puts her hands in her pockets. After a while she says, very quietly, "I know no one is coming. I just don't want to believe it."

p.73
Interaction between Dragan and Emina while waiting to cross a dangerous intersection and bridge.

Other Reviews:
Caribou's Mom
Raider Girl 3
Printed Page
Books and Movies
Books for Life

If I missed yours please let me know so that I can post your link!!

Review: The Chosen One and Giveaway

The Chosen One

"If I was going to kill the Prophet, " I say, not even keeping my voice low, "I'd do it in Africa."

Author: Carol Lynch Williams
Published: 2009 St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: YA
Pages: 213 heart-stopping, gripping, I couldn't put it down pages!!!!

Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated community without questioning the fact that her father has three wives and she has twenty brothers and sisters. Or at least without questioning them much- if you don't count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her meetings with the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her. But when the Prophet decrees that Kyra must marry her sixty-year-old uncle- who laready has six wives-Kyra must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family.

My thoughts:
This book is a very compelling and haunting story of a young girl's struggle to make her own choices regarding who she will love and give her heart to. Kyra is a character that you will embrace from the very first moment you meet her. A year or so ago, there was a lot of public scrutiny in regards to a polygamist community that forced young girls to wed older members. Well, this book takes you right inside and gives you an upclose and very personal look at what some of these groups force their young girls to participate in. I was truly appalled at the thought of a 13-year-old girl being "given" to a 60-year-old man, just because the Prophet had a dream about their so-called blessed union. Kyra loves her family and only wants to please her father and mother, but deep down inside she truly knows that their way of life isn't normal. She loved to read and before the new Prophet took over everyone was allowed to have books. But that changed and the one thing that she took refuge in was stripped away from her. She has an intense crush on a teen boy, Joshua, a fellow Chosen One. They share a sweet and special love with each other. A first love that should be treasured but instead it is one they have to hide, because she's been spoken for and even though she's not married, it would be considered adultery. This book disturbed me on so many levels....books being forbidden to read by anyone except the Prophets and Elders.......pedophiles (I truly believe they are) preying on young prepubscent girls.......violence against women and children.....threatening death if the Prophet isn't obeyed.....being controlled and watched......if I was Kyra I would've ran to!! Not everyone in this story is a bad person. Kyra's parents were raised in this atmosphere, but they both sincerely seemed to love their children. They were just too afraid to go against the Prophet. Doing that could mean that the wives and children were given to other men, while her father would've been thrown out of the compound. Kyra also finds a friend and confidant in Patrick, the man who drives the Mobile Library. In the end, Kyra's spirit and determination will have you rooting for her and believing that she will come out of this ordeal as a true survivor. I highly recommend this book to any adult and to young teens 13+.......this would be an excellent book to read for a teen book club or even an adult one, for that matter. There is plenty to discuss!!! Here are some passages that caught my attention:

Prophet Childs would never let one of us check out books from a public library.
"We have our beliefs," he's said. "We have our God-given freedoms. And not one is going to take that away by brain-washing us with Satan's teachings."

Prophet Childs, as sharp as my Russian Olive thorns, has preached that a woman who dies pregnant or having babies, is a sinner.

Now Uncle Hyrum looks at me and smiles. He's won and he knows it. "God has given you to me, Kyra Leigh. You will do what He says. What the Prophet says. What I say."

"I take real excellent care of my wives," Uncle Hyrum says when we get to my front porch. He pulls me close to him. His arms are like steel rods. "I'm gentle with the new ones."

My face is bruised, one eye closing shut, both lips busted, split wide-open. I feel that with my tongue."The lesson of the kingdom," Uncle Hyrum says. He wipes his hand on a towel that one of the God Squad brought him. "Be glad it isn't worse, Miss Kyra."

This book was released May 12th, 2009, go out grab a copy and share it with someone else when you're done!!!


Other Reviews:
Booking Mama
Becky's Book Reviews
J. Kaye's Book Blog


I want to also thank Sarah Goldstein at St. Martin's Press for sending me an ARC of this wonderful book and in return I would like to give my copy away as a way to

Read it Forward -
a wonderful idea that has started with Marcia over at The Printed Page.

How to qualify for the Giveaway

• Just leave me a comment regarding my review. Make sure you also leave me an email address where I can contact you if you win.
  
• All readers are welcome to enter...international too!!!
  
• The giveaway will close on May 20th at 9:00 pm (est).

More YA Obsessive Reviews!!!

I've given myself just 1 hour to get this post done (because it's so nice outside!!) so I'm going to make it short and sweet. These next two books were absolutely FANTASTIC!!!!
So here they are:

If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman
Published: 2009 Dutton Juvenile
Pages: 199
Genre: YA

Short blurb about book: In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen year- old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...

My Thoughts:
This book quite simply put, is breathtakingly beautiful. I loved every single page and how the author went back and forth between Mia's past, so that you could see her life as it was, and the present, to what she would be waking up to. That is if she decides to wake-up. I've always believed that people in comas can sense others around them, can hear people talking to them, and I also believe in out-of-body experiences. Right around the time I finished this book, a co-worker's mother was on her death bed. She hung in there for two weeks while she was in the hospital, towards the end she said she wanted to GO HOME. She hadn't been inside her own home in almost a year. They took her home on a Thursday evening and she died Friday morning. I believe people can will themselves to die and will themselves to live. This book will touch you.......and make you look at the after-life with a different slant of light.

Other Reviews:
Presenting Lenore- I'm so glad that Lenore is out there in the blogging atmosphere because I would've missed out on this fantastic book if it weren't for her beautiful review....thank you Lenore!!
The Bookbind
A Patchwork of Books
The Story Siren


____________________________________________________________________


Wintergirls
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Published: 2009 Viking Juvenile
Pages: 282
Genre: YA

Background:
Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend’s restless spirit.

My Thoughts:
What can I possibly say that hasn't already been written? Anderson has always been one of my favorite authors ever. I've loved and recommended every single one of her books. Why? Because she writes with an unflinching honesty that draws teens, children and adults to her words. Wintergirls is no different. It's dark, gritty, emotional, heartbreaking, and unfortunately all too REAL. There are no answers in this book, only the deepest, rawest emotional experience of Lia as she journeys through her own personal hell to learn how to live again, to learn how to WANT to live again. I have never flagged so many passages in one book and there are far too many to list. Click here to visit my other blog if you're interested in reading all the passages that struck me so hard. But I am going to leave you with one of my favorite:

I inscribe three lines, hush hush hush, into my skin. Ghosts trickle out.

p.61

If you have never read a Laurie Halse Anderson book then you must! It's just that simple...go find any of them....they're all great, but don't let another day go by without experiencing this truly gifted author.

Other reviews:
A Patchwork of Books
Book Addiction
Presenting Lenore
Devourer of Books
The Compulsive Reader
Stuff As Dreams Are Made On

A Reliable Wife- My Thoughts

A Reliable Wife
by Robert Goolrick
Published: 2009
Pages: 291 fast-paced, quickly read pages!!

From the inside jacket: A condensed version

For Ralph Truitt, the wealthy businessman who had advertised for "a reliable wife," this was to be a new beginning. Years of solitude, denial, and remorse would be erased, and Catherine Land, whoever she might be, would be the vessel of his desires, the keeper of his secrets, the means to recover what was lost. That was his plan. This is a story of two people, each plagued by a heart filled with anger and guilt, each with a destiny in mind. But neither anticipates what develops between them........



My thoughts:

I read this book during the early morning hours last Saturda . Once I opened the pages I was lost in the cold, white, endless winter world of Wisconsin. The beginning seems to be slow and very wordy, but after you get past that point you realize that the author wants you to feel the pain of the cold, and to envision how months of winter can drive people to commit heinous acts against those that they love. I was totally engrossed in the lives of Ralph and Catherine. I couldn't put the book down until I had finished it, which is a pretty good sign that I loved it. This story is one of mystery, love, death, murder, and ultimately human connections. But throughout the book there is a subtle vibration of menace. For me, this story at times, made me recall how I felt while reading "The Tell-Tale Heart." Because you know something bad happened or will happen, it's right there for you to see, yet you still feel that tension of impending doom.

She might wound him, she might lie to him, and still he would do anything to hear one word of kindness from her lips, to feel his flesh touch her flesh without humiliation. He was willing to take the chance. And all this because she had stepped from the train with a small scarlet bird in a cage, and she was coming home to him, bringing a fluttering life. He was at last waiting for someone whose name was known to him. People saw her come home to him, people in his town. She smiled at him, and he knew then that he would die for her.

p.192

I wish I would've read this book during a blizzard, for then I would have been able to totally immerse myself into the story, but even though I read it during a spring day, I still felt the harshness and bleakness of the Wisconsin landscape. This is an author that I would read again without hesitation and one that I totally recommend to my friends!!! You won't be disappointed!!

Other reviews:
Devourer of Books
The Booklady's Blog

If you've reviewed A Reliable Wife let me know so that I can add your link!!

Review: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Author: Sherman Alexie
Genre: YA
Published: 2007
Pages: 230 of some of the best writing I've ever read!!

From Goodreads:
In his first book for young adults, bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.






My Thoughts:

My son read this book last year and told me how much he loved it. I'd been meaning to get to it sometime but kept letting other books get in the way. Saturday during the Read-a-Thon this book was in my short list of possible reads. Marc came in to check on my progress and said, "Mom, you have to read this book next." So I did and I have to tell you that it blew me away!! I can see why it won the National Book Award. This is a story of a young man who has only known life on the "rez." This life encompasses poverty, alcoholism, funerals, and a school where not much is expected or given in return. Junior is smart, too smart for reservation school. His teacher tells him that he must get out of the rez so that he can be saved. The only way for him to do that is to go to an all-white school 20 miles away. When he decides to do this he experiences racism ,not only from the white kids, which he expected, but also from his own people. Through this ordeal Junior deals with his emotions and experiences by expressing himself with his art. The added bonus in this book is the marvelous illustrations. You will cry, laugh, and root for Junior every step of the way. His journey will give you hope. You will want everyone you know to read this book so that they too can be inspired by this special kid who didn't let anything stand in his way of becoming a better person. This book is at the top of my all-time favorite YA books and one of the best books I've read this year. Run don't walk to the library to get your hands on this one!!

Sonata for Miriam- my thoughts and a book giveaway!

Sonata for Miriam

by Linda Olsson
copyright 2009
273 magical and beautifully written pages

From Penguin Books:
Once again Linda Olsson captures poignantly the pain of loss and the universal longing to uncover the past. On the day of his only daughter's death, composer Adam Anker visits a War Memorial Museum in New Zealand, and discovers a photograph of a man who shares Adam's name, or at least the name he was born with: Adam Lipski. After a year spent grieving the loss of his daughter, Adam embarks on a journey. His search takes him to Krakow, Poland, where he meets Moishe Spiewak, an elderly Jewish man who knew Adam Lipski and his family well, and who was one of the last people to see him alive. As Moishe and Adam's friendship deepens, Adam begiins to understand what happened to his family. But there is one more person he must see before he can begin life anew: the mother of his daughter and the love of his life, to whom he hasn't spoken in twenty years.


This is my first experience with Linda Olsson and I'm so thankful that I have found her. Her writing is exquisite and invokes such emotion, that I find it hard to put into words the feelings I experienced while reading this novel. Her descriptions of the places and people make you feel as if you are there along side Adam. I felt his pain accutely in so many parts of this book. The loss of his daughter is always moving like a whisper in the background of the story. Everything that he is and does is because of this love that he experienced while raising her and then losing her. With that loss, he has to find a way to live again. Living is something that he finds extremely hard to do, but he realizes that he did not give his daughter everything that he could've...he never gave her the mother that she needed to know. He himself never got to know his real father, so he decides to explore the clues that he uncovered in the War Memorial Museum. As he uncovers his family's history you get to really know, understand, and to see how his past has influenced his life and the choices he has made along the way. With the help of family he never knew about and newly found friends, he eventually is able to reconcile his past so that he can embrace his future. Olsson's writing is spare and eloquent. She has such a masterful command of language and I found myself falling in love with her words.

"I never knew how Jan's father had discovered that our time was running out. He must have made some elaborate preparations after he heard about the imminent deportation of Jews. But he never discussed it with me--not then, not later. When I arrived at their apartment, they were ready to go, and we left the same afternoon. I was to travel with them to London, officially as Jan's tutor. And that was how I ended up as the only surviving member of my family. I survived. But I lost my life.
p.133

I lay down on the bed clasping the pictures and buried my face in the pillow in a vain attempt at silencing my sobs. But it was as if all my life's accumulated grief had finally found an outlet and was allowed to take its course. I screamed, I cried, until the grief became bearable. Afterward I lay staring into the air above the bed.
And eventually I fell into a dreamless sleep.

p. 175

I could list a thousand such passages that moved me but I want you, the reader, to experience them for yourself. If you haven't read Linda Olsson then I strongly recommend this book to you. I believe that it will become a favorite read for 2009, just like it has for me!

For more information about Linda Olsson and her previous book, Astrid & Veronkia please visit her here.


I want to thank Gabrielle at Penguin Books for giving me the opportunity to read this wonderful story!

Would you like to win my copy of this book?

I have one paperback copy of Sonata For Miriam by Linda Olsson to share with one of my readers courtesy of Penguin Group. This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only (no PO boxes). Here are the rules:

• For one entry leave me a comment with an email address. No email address, no entry. If you would like to send me your email privately please do so at stacijoreads@gmail.com
  
• Blog about this giveaway and spread the word for two entries. Posting on your sidebar counts
  
• Follow my blog and get three entries (if you're already a follower, let me know-that counts too)

I will draw for a winner on March 30th!! Good Luck!!

Check out these other great reviews:

S. Krishna's Books
Kaye @ Pudgy Penguin Perusals

Still Alice- my thoughts

Still Alice
by Lisa Genova
Copyright 2007, 2009
293 wonderfully written pages

From the inside cover:
Alice Howland is proud of the life she worked so hard to build. At fifty years old, she's a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and a world-renowned expert in linguistics with a successful husband and three grown children. When she becomes increasingly disoriented and forgetful, a tragic diagnosis changes her life- and her relationship with her family and the world-forever. At once beautiful and terrifying, Still Alice is a moving and vivid depiction of life with early-onset Alzheimer's disease that is as compelling as A Beautiful Mind and as unforgettable as Ordinary People.



I just finished Still Alice early this morning and the feelings that it brought forth within me were many...laughter, sadness, despair, hopeful, terrifying, inspiring.....as you can see there is a huge gambit of feelings going on here. I don't want to give away any of the story during this post so I will try to make my thoughts short and sweet and to only elaborate on my feelings from this book.

Laughter: There is a part in the book where Alice gets into a fighting match with a piece of clothing. Her husband doesn't find it funny but she does and can't stop herself from laughing. Her reaction to this disease made me laugh along with her, what else could you do?

Sadness: There are a lot of sad parts in this book for me. At times I had to stop and wonder what would my life be like if this happened to me? What would happen to my two sons and my husband. How long would it be before I stopped recognizing them? There is a very poignant moment that totally hit home for me.

"I'm so sorry I have this. I can't stand the thought of how much worse this is going to get. I can't stand the thought of looking at you someday, this face I love, and not knowing who you are."

This passage made me sob my heart out this morning in the shower and this is why. My Grandpa Bill Brown suffered from Alzheimers. His last year of his life was spent in a special unit at a nursing home. I visited him when I could and during my Christmas break I stayed with my parents for almost 2 weeks and saw my Grandpa daily. I knew in my heart that this would probably be it for me. I couldn't handle seeing him waste away to nothing. Mind you, he was a big man in his prime, and now he was a skeleton. But not only that, his essence, who he was, was quickly disappearing. So on one visit I sat down with him and grabbed his face between my hands and said, "Grandpa, do you know that you're the best grandpa in the whole world and I love you so much?" He looked me in the eyes and said these words that I will never ever forget...."Sis, I don't know who you are but I know that I love you." My heart quite literally broke that day.

Despair and Terrifying: My heart aches in the knowledge that anyone of us could be struck with Early-Onset Alzheimers and it scares the shit out of me. For the past 3 years I've been noticing that my brain isn't as sharp as it use to be...do I chalk it up to stress? age? (I'm only 40) pre-Menopause? or could it be something more insidious? Not knowing who my loved ones are, not being able to find the right words for things, words that I just had control of the day before......terrifying.

Inspiring: this book is inspiring, because it is from Alice's point-of-view and yes, at times she feels hopeless, but she's more than willing to try any experimental drug out there and to exercise, take her medications, and to live her life. Even when some of her loved ones start to act as if she's not there, she does not give up on herself!!! I'm also inspired by the doctors who are out there working around the clock to try to cure this horrible disease.

In a word, you MUST read this book. Even if you've never been touched by Alzheimer's in your personal life, you will be touched by this story and by this courageous woman who is....Still Alice.



P.S. I've listed way to many passages and quotes on my other blog to put into this review, but if you're interested in reading them please visit Quotes and Passages.

Other Reviews:

Thoughts of Joy
Lesley's Book Nook